Foreword by one of our patrons, John Rutter CBE

The premature death of Sheena Booth after a courageous battle with cancer left an aching gap in the hearts and lives of the many people who knew her. As a person she was warm, approachable, kind, and immensely loyal to her friends and family. As a musician and teacher, she numbered plenty of stars of the musical profession amongst her friends but, characteristically, devoted her efforts as a teacher to helping those who were just setting out on the path to stardom, or who might never perhaps become stars but whose gifts deserved to be nurtured and encouraged to their full potential. Every one of Sheena's pupils, of whatever age or ability, was made to feel they were special, and walked a bit taller after a lesson with her.

We, her friends, were delighted when her husband Edmund, along with a number of supporters, set up the Sheena Booth Trust so that her work could live on, in the area of the London/Essex border where she had lived and taught for so many years and among the young people she cared about so deeply. The projects and people they have supported have been wisely and imaginatively chosen, and the benefits will be felt for many years to come.

In a world where so many trusts and charities, perhaps inevitably, are large and a little impersonal, it is immensely heartwarming to find one which is small enough for the aims and ideals of the person whose name it bears to shine through. I am delighted and proud to be associated with the Sheena Booth Trust, and am inspired by its remarkable and continuing achievements, which are outlined in this report.

The flower motif, which the Trust uses as part of our logo, was painted by Sheena in 2002 (for quite another purpose, of course).